Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene, the creator of PUBG and Prologue: Go Wayback!, has publicly thanked the team at PlayerUnknown Productions for its “professionalism” as it “move[s] forward with a smaller team” following issues securing additional funding.

In an extended message posted to Twitter/X, Greene said the decision to cut PlayerUnknown Productions’ headcount “was not an easy decision to make”, and acknowledged that the ability to “keep the studio’s lights on by myself […] is a luxury few developers have when they go independent”.

“The games industry has been in a tough spot for a while, and we’re not alone in the struggle to find funding,” Greene wrote. “I’m privileged to have had the choice to keep the studio’s lights on by myself, and I’m very aware that it’s a luxury few developers have when they go independent. I could only do that for so long, and now we must move forward with a smaller team while finding the right partners for the project.”

“I want to thank my team at PlayerUnknown Productions for their professionalism. This was not an easy decision to take. But despite the challenges and uncertainty we faced this past year, their efforts showed me what a great studio culture we built together. The game we built is now free for everyone. I’m so very proud of what our team accomplished and truly regret we couldn’t finish the journey we began together.”

Greene added that he hoped players enjoy “the wilderness” of his current project, Prologue: Go Wayback!, now that it’s been released for free, and thanked the community for its “creativity, passion, and enjoyments of the worlds we’ve created”.

Did you know Brendan Greene wants to remake the internet?